A QUARTERLY JOURNAL

QuarterdeckA REVIEW CELEBRATING Sea & HISTORICAL FICTION

Autumn 2014

JULIAN STOCKWIN

Interview

Sailing a Parallel Course in Historical FictionJULIAN STOCKWIN

Julian and Kathy Stockwin in a bazaar in Ankara, Turkey, while on a research expedition for the newThomas Kydd sea adventure, Pasha, and the new standalone historical novel, The Silk Tree.

by George Jepson

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E J S sets sailthis autumn on a parallel course in historicalfiction, with the launch of two new novels:

Pasha, a Captain Thomas Kydd naval adventure, andThe Silk Tree, an epic work stretching from ancientRome, to Central Asia, Imperial Constantinople(Istanbul), and Sinae (China) in 549 AD.

Pasha will be published in the United Kingdom inOctober (Hodder & Stoughton) and in the UnitedStates in November (McBooks Press). The Silk Tree(Allison & Busby) will be published in the UK inNovember. Reviews of each begin on page 10. As in the past, the Stockwins sought background forPasha on location, this time in Istanbul and thesurrounding Turkish landscape. On the sameexpedition, the seed for The Silk Tree was planted bychance.

In this interview with Quarterdeck, Stockwin revealsthe back story behind Pasha, the fifteenth title in theKydd saga, and discusses the reasoning behind hisdecision to write The Silk Tree:

Earlier this year, British publisher Allison & Busbyannounced that it would publish The Silk Tree. What wasreason for this departure from your Thomas Kydd seastories?

The genesis for this book occurred when Kathy and Iwere on location research in Istanbul. Kathy discovereda rather lovely silk scarf in the ancient Kapali Carsi, theGrand Bazaar. While she was chatting to the merchantI idly wondered just how it was that silk had beenbrought from China to the West. Intrigued, I did someresearch on the subject and the creative juices started

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It was a matter of carefully organizing time. I wrote adetailed synopsis of The Silk Tree plus the first threechapters, then put this aside and wrote Pasha. AfterPasha was finished I returned to complete The SilkTree.

What was the genesis for your primary characters in TheSilk Tree? Are they historical figures?

No, the primarycharacters, while rooted inhistorical veracity of thetime, are composites, theproduct of myimagination. There are anumber of historicalfigures, however, and Itook some pains ensuringtheir biographical portraitsare accurate. EmperorJustinian, for example, was

a great figure who did much to restore the respect andstanding of the Roman Empire in the East and hiscodifying of laws is the basis of much jurisprudencetoday. He was, incidentally, the last emperor to speakLatin as a native first language. At the other end of thescale, the warlord-turned-emperor Wen Xuan was aparticularly evil individual, the range of his barbaritygrim and shocking. He poisoned the deposed emperorten months after assuming the throne and his blood-soaked reign lasted for another nine years. Stability

flowing. I knew I had a story I just had to tell!

How did you decide on the location for Pasha, which led toThe Silk Tree?

Pasha is largely set in the Dardanelles, so a research tripto Turkey was vital. We covered quite a bit of thecountry, but mainly were based in Istanbul. Turkey issuch a fascinating country – it was not difficult to findinspiration for two verydifferent books. Some daywe’d love to return toexplore more, especiallythe archaeological sites thathave added so much to ourunderstanding of ancientcultures.

How difficult did you findwriting two separate storiesset in two differentcenturies?

The two books are so different I didn’t find it difficultto do. Pasha is primarily a sea-based adventure set in thegreat age of fighting sail and part of an ongoing series.The Silk Tree is an epic quest across a broadgeographical canvas set in the sixth century.

Which story did you write first, after your return fromTurkey?

Dusk over Istanbul, a setting for both Pasha and The Silk Tree by Julian Stockwin. Hagia Sophia, the spired structure built in 537, is agreat architectural beauty and an important monument both for the Byzantine and for the Ottoman Empires. Once a church, later amosque, and now a museum, Hagia Sophia has always been the precious treasure of its time (photo by Kathy Stockwin).

“Pasha is largely set in theDardanelles, so a research tripto Turkey was vital. We covered

quite a bit of the country, butmainly were based in Istanbul.”

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only came with the glorious Tang dynasty, someseventy years later.

Is The Silk Tree the first in a series or a standalone novel?

Well, it is both! It is a standalone, telling the story oftwo adventurers stealing the secret of silk from China.And it is the first in a series of books linked not bycharacters, but the theme of a pivotal point in history. Ialready have the researchand planning for the nextbook in hand, but I don’twant to release details justyet.

Will your additional workin historical fiction affectyour plans for future Kyddnovels?

No, not at all! I lovewriting the Kydd series andwill continue to bring one out a year. At the moment aprojected twenty-one titles are sketched out, but thatmay increase. The historical record is so rich that themore I delve into it the more plots for Kydd and Renzibecome apparent. One reader emailed me a few daysago checking that I was looking after my health as hewanted to see many more Kydd tales published. Iassured him I was in fine fettle!

You write on a computer in your study. Do you ever write

parts of your stories in longhand?

With my handwriting! I could put a doctor to shame.No, ever since I started writing I have used a computer. I have devised an intricate file structure that enablesme with just one or two clicks to move seamlesslybetween work in progress and research documents.

Using a computer, have you ever lost any of your work?

Backup, backup, backup,is my mantra. I rememberone of our friends, whowas a customer servicemanager for a largecomputer company, tellingme of having to deal with avery distraught lady whohad lost three years’ workon her masters degreebecause she didn’t do anybackups.

Do you ever find yourself writing scenes for your novels,while you're on a research expedition, either in your mindor on paper?

I always travel with a pocket dictaphone to jot downideas or notes. These are transcribed at the end of theday to go into one of my special files – future ideas,research, names, etc. Sometimes on a researchexpedition, when I have done preliminary work, I may

The Golden Horn, is a major waterway and the primary inlet of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, the strait that forms part of the boundarybetween Europe and Asia (photo by Kathy Stockwin).

“I love writing the Kydd seriesand will continue to bring oneout a year. At the moment a

projected twenty-one titles aresketched out . . .”

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see a scene unfolding once I am physically on the spotso to speak, but the scene writing generally comes whenI am back home at my desk.

Throughout the Kydd series, your storylines have followedBritish naval history rather religiously. What otherinfluences affect the way a plot plays out?

With a series you have to be conscious of what camebefore and what is planned ahead. This is veryimportant in terms of how a plot plays out. But alsoyou want to entertain the reader – red herrings and falsetrails, as well as foreshadowing events, etc., so thatwhen it happens the outcome is satisfying. Building astoryline is quite complex and Kathy and I often workthese up on a large whiteboard.

Nicholas Renzi sometimes operates in a shadowy worldapart from Kydd. Are his escapades based on history?

By their nature, such escapades are not generallydocumented in the historical record. When I was in theNavy I was privy to certain confidential and secret filesand do have some idea of that shadowy world, althoughI hasten to add, I have never been a spy!

What are you writing at present?

Book sixteen. The working title is not yet decided andI’m not allowed to give away the plot at this stage. Thebook will come out in October 2015.

Have you identified other subjects that will provide thebasis for your future general historical novels?

Yes, I have a number of subjects for books in a similarline to The Silk Tree. They will all be epic tales basedon pivotal points in history.

Can you divulge where Kydd and Renzi are headed afterPasha?

Aha! You’ll have to wait. I will say, however, that it willmean a large change in some aspect of Kydd’s life.

What can you tell us about the current status regardingaudio editions of your books?

Sadly, my previous audio publisher went intoadministration. However I am delighted that a newpubisher, W. F. Howes undertook to bring outCaribbee and the whole back list. They are nowavailable as physical CDs and audio downloads in theUK, U.S., Europe and other countries around theworld. All the books are superbly narrated by ChristianRodska.

What are your thoughts on e-books in general and therelatively recent availability of digital downloads?

I’m not a huge fan of e-books personally but I am all infavor of giving readers choices of channels in which toenjoy literature. And from the author’s point of view, ifsomeone buys a physical book and an e-book, thatdoubles the royalties. What’s not to like!

Is there anything else you would like to share with readers?

A huge thanks for all their support. I so enjoy hearingfrom readers and personally answer all emails, usuallywithin forty-eight hours. I also find it rewarding to beable to interact with readers on Facebook, Twitter andother social network sites. By the way, I publish aregular blog, “Big Jules”. You can sign up via thewebsite and it’ll be delivered to your in-tray.

Visit Julian Stockwin online:www.julianstockwin.com.

Julian and Kathy Stockwin on the Anatolian Plateau, the centralupland region of the ancient region of Anatolia, today’s Turkey(photo courtesy of the author).

PASHAby Julian Stockwin

McBooks Press, $24.00, U.S. Hardcover / $9.99, Kindle / $10.99, NOOK

O ,Englishman Julian Stockwin hasemerged as a skilled storyteller in

naval fiction set during the age of fightingsail. Pasha, the latest title in the author’sThomas Kydd sea adventures, achieves anew level of excellence for this splendidseries.

Summoned to London fromthe Caribbean by theAdmiralty, Captain ThomasKydd harbors a sense offoreboding for what lies aheadin Whitehall – a “vengefulcourt-martial” and the loss ofHMS L’Aurore and his career? Nicholas Renzi, Kydd’sparticular friend and personalsecretary, is at sea within hisown thoughts, believing himselfto be a poor, failed novelistunworthy of asking CeciliaKydd for her hand. Leaving Portsmouth togetherby coach – Kydd bound forLondon and Renzi forGuildford – they are about to

embark on separate journeys that willforever change their lives in ways thatneither could imagine. Arriving in the capital, Kydd is swept upin officialdom from the hallowed office ofthe First Lord in the Admiralty to themajestic rooms in the royal residences atWindsor Castle and St. James Palace toancient Westminster Abbey. It is notexactly what he had anticipated. After a disturbing discovery in Guild-

ford, Renzi travels by coach to London,cloaked in gloom. At the John Murraypublishing house, matters are brighter, butone last cloud hangs heavily over him.Reaching Eskdale Hall – the family estate –he is greeted with even more startling news. By the time Kydd and Renzi reunite inGuildford, the courses of their lives, once soconnected, have diverged. Kydd is destined for the sea aboardL’Aurore – “his love . . . his true home” –first on a dauntless mission into Cadiz’sinner harbor and then east in theMediterranean to the Ottoman Empire tothwart Napoleon Bonaparte’s designs onConstantinople. A chance encounter with the Marquessof Bloomsbury, once Cecilia’s employer, onthe streets of Mayfair in London leadsRenzi to a position in the clandestineintelligence service of the Crown andcountry. The French intrusion in Turkey isseen as paramount to British security, andRenzi is dispatched to Constantinople inthe guise of an English aristocrat. Neither Kydd nor Renzi are aware of theother’s presence, as they each face agathering storm against the French and anunstable Ottoman sultan seeking to reformalliances. Julian Stockwin, a master of navalfiction, brilliantly re-creates little-knownhistorical events, when wooden shipsmanned by courageous Jack Tars sailed intothe Dardanelles – a perilous waterway – toreinforce British influence. This is Stockwinat his best. – George Jepson

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Editor’s Choice

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Editor’s Choice

THE SILK TREEby Julian Stockwin

Allison & Busby, £19.99, UK Hardcover

treasured by priests and the royal court, isbig business. The precious cloth originatesin Sinae (ancient China), but trade routes tothe west are controlled by the Persians. Sohow do two outsiders subvert the system? “I read somewhere that silk grows ontrees,” says Nico. “What can be easier thanwe go and help ourselves to a load of seeds?Buy ’em, steal some if we have to . . .” Theidea is to return from Sinae with the meansof producing the precious cloth for theemperor, allowing him to retain the tons ofgold spent annually with the Persians. At this point the situation begins tounravel like a cat pulling on a strand ofyarn. Julian Stockwin deftly weaves historiccharacters and events into a narrative thatleads readers on a treacherous journey fromthe shores of the Bosphorus to the steppesand deserts of Central Asia and back again. Cloaked as holy men, Nicander andMarius embark on an expedition fraughtwith danger, traveling by sea and overlanduntil they reach China. Once there, keepingbody and soul together is a challenge whenthey are enslaved by Emperor Wen Hsuan. After solving the riddle of silk, thewandering “holy men” face an even greatercrisis, as they seek a path to freedom withtheir precious prize. Stockwin's page-turning prose, vividlydrawn characters and ability to draw thereader right into these ancient times create agrand and compelling historical epic.Completing each chapter is tantamount tounlocking the secret compartments in aChinese puzzle box. – George Jepson

A R in 549AD, as a once great empire falls toits mortal enemies, the Ostrogoths.

Traitors have opened the gates to “crazedhorsemen wielding axes and swords,screaming in blood-lust.” In the face ofcertain death, inhabitants flee for their lives.

Nicander, a Greek merchant,watches from a hiding place ashis warehouse erupts in flames,“two hundred thousand solidiworth of incense going up inthickly scented smoke.” Escaping to the countryside,Nicander encounters Marius, alarge-figured Roman legionary,minus his plumed helmet, butwearing “body armour whichwas stained with blood” andwielding a sword. This man,too, is on the run from themarauding Ostrogoths. Sharing a common ambition– survival – the disparatecharacters singly elude thebarbarians and connect again in

Brundi-sium, an Adriatic seaport, wherethey board a crowded, square-sailed shipbound for Constantinople (modern-dayIstanbul). Landing in the seat of Justinian I,Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, thisodd couple, a cunning Greek and a proudlegionary, is without serious prospects. Adaring wager only makes things worse,leaving them far short of the riches they hadenvisioned. Marius brings to mind that trade in silk,